Yamaha's Intelligent Electric Bike - PAS Brace

Yamaha will release the "PAS Brace" Aug 8, 2008, in Japan. The new bike features an eight-speed internal hub gear and a shift position sensor to detect the gear speed at which it is running. A system called "S.P.E.C.8" decides an optimal assisting power at any time in the ride including the starting up, accelerating and running phases of the ride.

Electricity supply begins to decrease after the speed reaches 15km/h (9.32mph), and no electricity is provided at the speed of 24km/h or more. At the speed of less than 24km/h, the S.P.E.C.8 efficiently assists the pedaling by minutely controlling the electricity supply according to the gear in use.

The price of the bicycle (including a battery charger) is set at ¥125,800 (~ $1,168, including tax).

Specs:

Wheel size: 26"
Motor: DC brushless - 240 W
Battery: Lithium-ion 25.9V-4.0Ah
Weight: 22.1kg

Panasonic Vivi RX-10S Electric Bike

Panasonic is going to launch in Japan next month the new Vivi RX-10S electric bike that features hybrid car-style regenerative braking system. The bicycle comes with an Automatic Mode which automatically switches between four levels of peddle assistance using a built-in torque sensor. For instance, the assistance force increases when the bicycle is going uphill and deactivates when it detects a downhill ride. By utilizing a regenerative braking system on downward slopes, etc, the assisted travel range is significantly extended compared with systems that don't use regenerated energy. The assisted travel range was reportedly extended to approximately 125km with the use of the regenerative braking system, whereas the assisted travel range is only about 90km without using the system. The expected retail price of the bicycle is ¥150,000 (~ $1,395).

Specs:

Wheel size: 26"
Motor: DC brushless 250W
Battery: Lithium-ion 26V-10Ah
Weight: 25.7kg